MADAM,

In addition to letters and phone calls urging energy users to change to smart meters, energy suppliers are now issuing the same messages on TV, emphasising this will avoid getting estimated bills. If these suppliers carried out their contractual obligations by the use of meter readers, this would rarely apply.

On getting fed up with repeated calls, I consulted two generations of my family who are acknowledged to be qualified on the subject of IT and energy. They advised me against changing to smart meters, due to inherent faults in the present system; this is borne out by the number of complaints in the national press.

In addition they mentioned that not all buildings are suitable for smart meters, due to their location. In the case of my premises they advised that the extreme thickness of the walls, and the location of my boiler relative to the two meters, indicated that my premises were definitely not suitable.

The advice I was given really confirmed my own suspicions, that the energy suppliers are eager to dispense with the services of meter readers to save money. Also, they mentioned that, in the event of me wishing to change my energy provider, their smart meters would not be compatible with those of my existing supplier.

W Barnard

(Usk)